What In the Wiki?

Information has become quite important in today’s society. And the need to acquire information in milliseconds has become the way of the world. Everyone wants their information and they want it NOW! These days there’s just about a wiki for everything. Find a Wiki-something or another for yourself and be in the know.

WikiTravels

A free travel guide that has the most current information on travel destinations. It sheds light on how they were formed, what form of government they are governed by as well as sharing other historical background. It also gives advice on accommodations, restaurants and shopping plus any other pertinent data those interested in travel might want to know.

*Up until August 2012 WikiTravels and WikiVoyage had the same information. Since then, WikiVoyage has more updated info.

WikiMedia Commons

This is a free “media file repository”. It offers public domain and freely-licensed educational media content such as images, sound and video clips. It is voluntarily given information that can be edited by other users who may want to add onto or correct data. One can register and place in their own work, help translate information in their native language or tidy up the place by organizing things that are not in the proper category.

WikiAnswers

WikiAnswers operates independent from Wikipedia but uses the same technology. It was the idea of Angela Beesley and the creator of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales. Right out of the gate this community lets you know cheating is not cool. Answers to tests will not be tolerated. It’s a platform based on Q & A. It’s free to the public and in conjunction with Answers.com. When you ask a question it is posed out to other users of the site. Depending on when a user sees your question, it may be a while for you to receive an answer but you will receive one.

Wikipedia

An online encyclopedia that gives free data on just about any topic. The subject matter can be edited by anyone. There are some forms of pictures and media that can be copied and used publicly but you have to pay attention to which ones are and which ones are not. It is provided in several different languages. Wikipedia eliminates the tedious process of searching for books, sitting in a quiet library or checking out a book and having to return it later.

WikiHow

This site is one big “how to” guide to just about anything. It aids in giving do-it-yourselfers step-by-step instructions on how to do or make things. Topics can be on arts and entertainment, hobbies and crafts, car and other vehicles and whatever else may be needed by those trying to figure out how to create something.

WikiSpecies

A collaboration between WikiSpecies, ZooKeys and PhytoKeys that categorizes a number of species in the world. The directory gives the details on animals, plants, bacteria, fungi and more. It, along with the other Wikimedia Project family, is free to the public. The only setback, for some, to WikiSpecies is that one has to know the specific scientific name to gain information. For example, a search for Bengal Tiger will provide you with a list of types of tigers to choose from but its scientific name, Panthera Tigris will pop up the direct page of it. As long as you have the scientific name, you’re good.

All the Wiki family is under the umbrella of a WIKIMEDIA project. Its family consists of about 6 more sites other than what is listed above. They all serve a specific purpose providing important facts to those interested in a certain topic. All are based on voluntary information and can be edited by anyone. It’s important to realize that though these are well known informational sites they are done by volunteers and errors can happen until it is cross-referenced by the Wikipedia fact checkers. For the most part, facts are accurate, trustworthy and helpful for those gaining facts for research or for their own personal knowledge.